366 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



below the legal requirements, thus showing a large deficiency instead of 

 a surplus. 



The condition of Mexico is quite a factor in our foreign trade. 

 Their imports from the United States have been much more than from 

 any other country, coming largely of an accompaniment of our increas- 

 ing investments there. We have already a thousand million dollars or 

 more invested in Mexico. When the troubles there are over, and a 

 government controlled by the intelligent classes and accepted by the 

 whole people is established, we may expect a revival of trade in that 

 section. Mexico the great Humboldt ranked as the richest portion of 

 the world, and it must eventually become a large field for trade. 



Nearly all those who know Mexico, — I have known it for many 

 years — regarded our failure to act with most of the other nations in. 

 promptly acknowledging Huerta as a serious mistake. He was cer- 

 tainly far better qualified for the position of president than any of 

 those who opposed him. He had control of 17 of the 23 states, to begin 

 with, and with the acknowledgment of the TJnited States could readily 

 have established peace : we could thus have been saved all responsibility, 

 to say nothing of our waste at Vera Cruz and on the border of ten or 

 fifteen millions of dollars and a score of lives. We have no proof that 

 Huerta had anything to do with murdering Madero, but, if he did, as 

 a prominent Mexican remarked, he would be only following the custom 

 of the country, which should not concern us. 



The destruction of property is so great in Europe that we shall 

 doubtless be called upon for large supplies, and at the close of the war a 

 vast amount of material will be needed, which we can furnish if there 

 is any money left to pay for it. From all this we may draw temporary 

 profits, but, in the long run, we in common with all the world are bound 

 to suffer from this wasteful and wicked war. We may perhaps con- 

 gratulate ourselves on suffering less than any other nation. If the war 

 continues much longer all Europe must approach bankruptcy, for its 

 national debts before the war were already enormous. France owed 

 over six thousand millions of dollars, Germany, five thousand millions, 

 Eussia, four thousand five lumdred millions, England, three thousand 

 five hundred millions, Austria-Hungary, two thousand millions, and 

 Belgium, seven hundred and fifty millions. This indebtedness has 

 already been increased by over seven thousand millions of dollars, about 

 the estimated expense of our civil war. Our recovery after the war 

 was rapid, only for a time interfered with by the great '73 panic, but 

 we disbanded our armies and stopped the expense of militarism, ex- 

 cept for pensions, which by the way for a number of years were com- 

 paratively small. If Europe will follow our example in this they may 

 be saved from bankruptcy and recover sooner than expected, but it is 

 probable it will not recover its former status during the life of those 

 here present, although it is barely possible with energy and economy 



